Two red Routemaster double-deckers facing each other on a concrete crossing point in open downland, with passengers standing beside them under a dramatic cloudy sky
Photo: Michael Meilton · CC BY-SA 2.0
23 dated · 11 awaiting dates

Bus and Coach Events in the UK

Next up: Bridgeton Bus Fest — Sat 3 – Sun 4 Oct 2026, Glasgow.

Bus preservation has one advantage over every other kind of old vehicle: you get on. On a running day the buses are not lined up for you to walk past, they work a printed timetable over the roads they were built for, and you ride all day on one ticket. Imberbus, on a Saturday in August, sends Routemasters out of Warminster across Salisbury Plain to Imber, the village the Army took over in 1943 and never handed back. Ensignbus at Grays in Essex runs its December day and charges nothing. Winchester starts the year on 1 January with King Alfred buses back on their old routes.

Rallies are the other half. A field, a few hundred vehicles, bonnets up, owners who will explain why an AEC sounds nothing like a Leyland, and stalls selling models, old blinds, badges and fleet histories. Showbus in September is the biggest of the year. The South East Bus Festival fills the Kent Showground at Detling in spring, the Alton Bus Rally takes Anstey Park in July with free buses linking the town and the Mid Hants Railway, and North Weald runs on an Essex airfield in June. Nearly all of them put free buses out on the road, so even a static event ends with you riding something.

We split it four ways: running days, rallies, museum open days and coach runs. It stays cheap, often under a tenner for a full day with children free, and the best seat is still the front one upstairs. If lorries interest you too, the London to Brighton Historic Commercial Vehicle Run on the first Sunday in May puts buses, coaches, vans and lorries on the same road. Every listing here is checked weekly, you can search by postcode, and the Thursday email says what is running near you at the weekend.

Browse by type

Two red Routemaster buses, the leading one open-top with passengers upstairs, coming along a narrow rural road towards a bus stop where a person waits

Bus Running Days

13 listed →
Green and cream Bristol Lodekka double-decker bus in bright sunshine, driver seated in the half-cab, photographed from the front three-quarter

Bus Rallies

9 listed →
Red prototype Routemaster bus at Brooklands museum, driver in cab, children and parents queueing to board a green single-decker tour bus behind it

Museum Event Days

8 listed →
Cream and dark blue 1940s Bedford OB coach with polished chrome radiator grille, destination blind reading Weymouth, on grass at a vintage vehicle rally

Coach & Commercial Runs

3 listed →

October 2026

3Oct

Bridgeton Bus Fest

Bridgeton Bus Garage, 76 Fordneuk Street, Glasgow · Glasgow

Buses Adults £8 Sat 3 – Sun 4 Oct 2026
10Oct

Wightrider Weekend

Isle of Wight Bus & Coach Museum, Park Road, Ryde · Isle of Wight

Buses Free Sat 10 – Sun 11 Oct 2026
18Oct

TransportFest 2026

London Bus Museum, Brooklands, Weybridge · Surrey

Buses Adults £21

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

Annual fixtures — dates being confirmed

TBCApr

UK Coach Rally 2027

Blackpool seafront (2026 headquarters: The Grand Hotel, North Promenade), Blackpool · Lancashire

Buses
TBCAug

Imberbus

Warminster railway station, Station Road, Warminster · Wiltshire

Buses

These events run most years but the organiser has not confirmed the next date yet. We check weekly and date them the moment they are announced. Get the weekly email and you will not miss it.

Same crowd, different engines: truck shows · tram and trolleybus events

Bus & Coach Events: your questions answered

What is a bus running day?

It is a bus service run for one day using preserved buses, to a real timetable, usually over routes those vehicles originally worked. You buy an all-day ticket and ride as much as you like. Timetable booklets are handed out at the main stop and the blinds are set correctly, so you can plan the day as if it were 1962.

When does the bus event season run?

All year, unlike most outdoor hobbies. Winchester on 1 January, Amersham and Detling in April, London to Brighton on the first Sunday in May, rallies through June and July, Imberbus in August, Showbus in September, Isle of Wight Beer and Buses in October and Ensignbus in December.

How much do bus events cost?

Most running days charge roughly £5 to £15 for an all-day ticket and a few are free. Rally entry is usually £8 to £12 with accompanied children free, and rides off the field are included. Take cash, because conductors issue paper tickets and card machines are rare.

Are these events any good with young children?

Yes, and they are one of the cheapest good days out going. Under-16s ride free at many running days. Buses of this age have no seatbelts, no toilet and no wheelchair space, and a rear-platform bus means folding the pushchair and carrying it aboard, which crews are used to helping with.

What is the difference between a running day and a rally?

A running day is about riding, a rally is about looking, though most rallies now run free buses as well. Pick a running day if you want to spend the day on board. Pick a rally if you want 300 vehicles side by side, trade stands and time to talk to owners.

Which types of bus will I actually see?

Around London, AEC Regent RTs, Routemasters and RF single-deckers. In old Tilling territory in the West Country, the low-height Bristol Lodekka. Northern and municipal events bring Leyland Titan PD2s and PD3s, Daimler Fleetlines, Leyland Atlanteans and Bristol VRs, and 1980s buses count as preserved now too.

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